LAST month Lisa (15) fainted before a Junior Cert exam. She was found to be anaemic and the GP recommended more rest and more red meat. This was a problem because Lisa is a vegetarian.
She is not alone. Record numbers adolescent girls are developing anaemia because of food fads and the growth off vegetarianism. A recent British study reveals that nearly one in five schoolgirls aged 11 to 16 suffers from iron deficiency which leads to tiredness and poor concentration.
Adolescents who give up meat without other food substitution risk losing out on valuable iron, protein and Vitamin B12 all vital at the onset of menstruation and for building healthy cells and bones at time of growth spurts. Ironically, some sell"styled young vegetarians fill up on fats and junk food and wouldn't eat a lentil, leek or lettuce to save their lives.
Animal protein in meat, fish, dairy foods and eggs contains all the essential amino acids in amounts the developing body needs. Meat alone provides haema iron which is more easily absorbed than iron found in plant foods. Plant proteins from grains, nuts and seeds may not contain enough of one or more of the essential amino acids.
More severe long term problems such as osteoporosis and low birth weight babies are more likely when women were anaemic adolescents. Lack of iron has been described as the most widespread dietary deficiency in the UK. An 1995 market research survey conducted on behalf of Pharmaton Capsules found that the age group struggling most with a balanced diet is aged 15-34.
Combat Poverty Agency studies also indicate that meat can be a gender issue, with women inn low income families giving sons and fathers more and better meat than offered to daughters. Dr Mike Gibney, associate Professor of Nutrition at Trinity College, Dublin, says that the low consumption of red meat by women across the social spectrum has contributed to an alarming decrease in their level of iron. Thirty per cent of women in Westerns Europe would have insufficient body stores of iron, he says. And a survey in the Coombe Women's Hospital, Dublin, found that more than 8 per cent of pregnant women were anaemic, lacking iron at an essential time in their lives.
Anecdotal evidence also abounds. The Vegetarian Society of Ireland says that adolescents frequently contact the organisation, explaining that they want to give up meat, usually for ethical reasons. Many mothers worry that daughters no longer eat meat, because of aesthetics, ideology or increasingly fear of being fat. The summers cropped top, ideally revealing an ironing board flat tummy, doesn't help.
A generation ago the average model weighed eight per cent less than the average woman. Today the differences 23 per cent. Famine stricken limbs are high fashion, and Superwaif pale, young anorexic, a size eight coat hanger is now being offered as the norm. A Dublin primary school survey of 11 year olds found that one in three wanted to be slimmer even though only six per cent were overweight.
The fashion and advertising industries are blamed for their destructive effect on impressionable young people. And there is some heartening evidence that manufacturers are fighting back. Recently Omega, the watch manufacturer, threatened to withdraw its advertising from Vogue magazine alleging that the "skeletal appearance" of women in its fashion pages might help to push girls into anorexia.
Many agree there can be a link between adolescent vegetarianism and poor diet. The British Rhodes Farm Clinic which treats children with eating disorders says that eight out of 10 children seen with anorexia are vegetarian. The problem is neither the philosophy nor practice of properly interpreted vegetarianism but rather the abuses which take place under its banner.
"Some young girls give up meat because they think it's fatty. This is not necessarily true if all the visible fat is removed," says nutritionist Catharine O'Brien, PRO of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute. "They may also choose vegetarianism as a revolt against perceived parental control."
How do you get the balance right?
"A vegetarian diet can be structured into a carefully planned diet with plenty of alternative sources of iron," says Ursula O'Dwyer, Department of Health consultant dietitian, "but it can be difficult to keep up, and needs to be constantly monitored." She has adapted a food pyramid to show how the food we eat every day can be balanced with specific recommended servings of cereals, bread, fruit and vegetables, dairy produce and meat. "The meat alternatives are peas/beans, cheese, nuts, eggs, fish two servings of any of these each day would fulfil your iron and mineral requirement if you're not eating meat," she says.
Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron so if, for example, you're having an egg for breakfast, have a glass of orange juice with it.
Teenage girls should be encouraged to drink low fat milk as a way of ensuring they get enough calcium.
Finally, the Vegetarian Society of Ireland recommends an iron full breakfast drink made the night before.
Take a handful of raisins, and two to three chopped dried apricots and prunes. Soak the fruit in half a teaspoon of lemon juice topped with hot water. Overnight the fruit will absorb the liquid and the lemon juice will help iron absorption.